Rheostat switch



1,553,262 J. PERNA, JR

RHEOSTAT SWITCH Filed July '7. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 8, 1925.

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INVENTOR 070g la/ Eer na/ .Bj

Sept. 8 1925.

J." PERNA, JR

RHEOSTAT SWITCH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July v. 1923 urmz'oli RTM Patented Sept. 8, 1925.

JOSEPH rEn'fNA, JR., or rHILAnELPHIa, PENNSYLVANIA.

RHEOSTAT' SWITCH.

Application le'd July 7, 1923. Serial No. 650,084.

T` @Nacho/m it may concern.' y

Beit known that I, JosnrH PnuNA, J r., a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia` and State ot Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in a. Rheostat Switch, of which the following is a specilication. l y

h/[y invention rela-tes tok new and useful improvements-f in avariable wall switch, and

'has for its primary object to improve the construction of such devices in order that they willbe compact, substantial and relatively inexpensive in the cost of manufacture; d d

Another object of the invention is to provide an exceedingly simple and'eglective device of this character whereby the electric currentpassing therethrough lIn ay be readily and easily 'controlled to vary the intensity of a light or lights suppliedlwith the electrical energy passing` through the switch. y

A further objectof the invention is to prorider the rheostat or coil as the rotary member and also to provide unique connections between the rotary and stationary members.

Vith these-V ends in view, thisl invention consists in. the'V details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set -forth and' then specically 'designated by 'the claims.

In order that thoseslilled in the art to which `this invention appert-ains, may understand how to make anduse 'the` same, I will describe its construction in detail, referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings forming part of this application, in which :M-

Fig. 1, is an outer face or end View of a switch embodying my improvements, a portion of the knob being broken away.

Fig.` 2, is a longitudinal sectional view (hereof.

Fig. 3, is an inner end view of the body or casing' with thecover and switch elements removed.

Fig. et, is an inner end View of the rheostat or rotor element.

Fig. 5, is a face View of the contact member coacting with the rotor,

Fig. a is an edge View of the contact meinber.

Fig. 6, is a face View of one of the conductors.

Fig. 7, is an edge View thereof.

Fig. 8, is an edge View of the bridge,

has a chamber e having an opening 5 lead'- ing thereto at the inner end and a hole 6 communicating; with said chamber at the outer end. The opening 5 is normally closed by a cover, and if this cover is of, metal a strip of insulating` material 8, such paper, is interposed between the cover and the casing.

In the chamber 4 of the casing are located two screws or bolts 9 and l0 directly opposite ea ch other which pass through suitable lugs 11 and 12 with the heads vof the screws or bolts in recesses 13 while the lnuts 14 on said screws or bolts for holding them in place are set in recesses 15.

lVithin the chamber l is located a bridge 16 held in a stationary position by means of the screws or bolts 9 and l0 on which said bridge is mounted and said bridge is of suitable insulating material such as porcelain.

The screw or belt 1() adapted to heconnected` with the wire or conductor oian electric circuit and in order to carry this curVL rent from the screw or boltl 1.0 a conductor 1-'7 is mounted on the underside of the bridge' 16 y and surrounds the screw or bolt 10 and said contact memberl 17 is held in place by a sere-w 18 passing through the bridge 16 and connected with a contact strip 19. @n top of the bridge 16 is mounted a Contact meinber 210 having a hole sufficient size for the passa-ge ol the screw 18 to prevent electrical contactY with said screw and between the con tact member 2() and the contact strip 19 are mounted a plurality of insulating washers 2l of mica or other suitable material which thereby space the contact strip 19 from the contact member 20. From the contact mehr ber 2O runs a conductor 22 r4on top of the bridge 16 and surroundingr the screw or bolt 9 so as. to form an electrical Contact in order that the screw or bolt 9 may be used as a conductor to which a wire or other conductor of the electrical circuit may be attached.

The contact member 20 includes a pair of oppositely disposed resilient contact arms 23 which are located in the path of travel of a series of spaced contact points 24 on the inner end of the rotor 25, each of said contacts being connected with different points of the resistance Wire 26 embedded in suitable insulating material and 'forming the rheostat or coil while said resistance wire or coil oit the rheostat is connected at one end to the metal tube 27 also forming' a part of the rotor and acting as thelcomplementary member to the contact strip 19. The rheostat element may be enclosed in a suitable jacket which also -to-rins a part ot' the rotor and has an outer wall 29 either in the 'form ot a reduced strip or occupying the entire area of the space between the sine walls o'l the jaclct. A, suitable knob SO is inserted throng-rh the hole G in the procelain casing` and connected with the end wall 29 of the jacket in any suitable manner as by threaded connection therewith, said lznob preterably beingl termed of insulating.' material such hard. rubber with a threaded shank embedded tor threaded connection with the end wall Q9.

In practice this switch-is placed in the ordinary wall box 31 illustrated in Iiig. 2 and covered with a suitable cap, not shown` which is fastened to the tiane'es ot the wall box in ordinary practice, it beine' understood that the conductor wires oll the electrical circuit are first attached 'to the screws or bolts 9 and 10 so that the current passes through the screw or bolt then pas, through the conductor 22, the contact member Q0 and from its spring; arms to the contact points oit the resistance wire or rheostat and through a certain amount ot the wire oit said rheostat to the tube 9,7, contact strip 19, the screw 1S, conductor 17 then through said conductor and the. screw or bolt 10 to the conductor wire olf the electric circuit. In order to change the amount ot current passing to the point of use it is only necessary to rotate the knob SO which will then move the rotor the desired distance to bring one oit the resilient lingers 23 into engagement with the desired contact point 24k on the rotor thus adding' or cutting out wire to or from the circuit,

Ot course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details ot construction as herein 'shown as t-hese may be varied within the limits ol the appended claims without departing` from the spirit oitI my invention.

Having thus `Sully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful is:--

1. A rheosttat switch comprising, in combination, a casing' of insulating' material provided with a chamber, a stationary contact member within said chamber, a contact strip within said chamber, means iior connecting the contact strip in an electric circuit, means for connecting the contact meniber in an electric circuit and a rotor in cluding a tube for coaction with the conf tact strip, a resistance wire, contact points tapped at ditl'erent localities on the resistw ance wire., said contact points adapted to engage the contact member, a jacket surrounding the resistance wire and a knob connected to the jaclqet tor operating the rotor.

2. A rhcostat switch including' a casing o'lE insulatino' material having' a chamber with an openinj` at the rear and a hole at the trent, a bridge within the chamber', screws for supporting said bridge and acting; as conductors, a Contact strip supported by said bridge, a contact member' also supported by said bridge, conductors mounted on said bri e electrically connected with the contact trip and Contact member' and each with a diil'ere t screw, a rotor within the casing; including a resistance having contact points tor engagement with the con tact member and also having a` tube ttor "ag'emcnt with the contact strip, and a lrizob projecting' through the hole in the ont ot the casing and connected to the rotor Yfor actuating the same.

.A variable wall switch including a casing' ot insulzfiting material, screws mounted within said casina', a bridge oit' insulating material connected with said screws, a contact strip carried by said bridge, a Contact member carried by said bridge, means .tor electrically connecting one screw with the contact strip, means ttor electrically connecting; the other screw with the contact member, and a rotary .resistance within the insulated casing; and contacting with the contact strip and contact member whereby the rotation ot said. resistance will vary the saine between the two screws.

ll. A variable wall switch comprising; a casing, a rotor within said casing, said rotor including a jacket, a concentrictube, a resistance between said tube and jacket having` one end connected to the tube and having' contacts each connectcd with a di'l'lcii'ent part ot the resistance, a contact strip within thc rotor coacting` with the tube thereof resilient contact arms for cooperation with the contacts oit the resistance, means for connecting the contact strip to one side ot an electric circuit, and means for connecting the spring: contact arms with the other side ot an electric circuit.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto aiiixed my signature.

JOSEPH PERNA, Jn. 

